DevAccelerator Spotlight: Safe Rate
Putting homeowners first by automatically reducing monthly mortgage payments when neighborhood home values fall.
This is a part of a series highlighting the work of developers on the Oasis Network through a new program run called the DevAccelerator Program. Go here to learn more about the program and apply.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
My name is Dylan Hall, and I’m the co-founder and CEO of Safe Rate. I’ve previously served as CTO at several other venture-backed startups, and am also a lecturer at the University of Chicago.
Tell us a bit about your project?
Safe Rate offers a flexible mortgage product that helps homeowners better navigate times of distress by providing automatic payment reduction when local housing markets lose value and when a homeowner experiences job loss or large health care expenses.
When and why did you first get excited about blockchain technology?
Blockchain technology became exciting for me in thinking about mortgage securitization, which is the placement of individual mortgages into legal entities called trusts that then get sold to large investors. Securitization involves many parties and complex, legal documents which are difficult to understand. Essentially, blockchain can replace this old securitization approach with a more efficient and open offering for investors.
What made you interested in building on the Oasis Network?
I heard CEO Dawn Song speak about how and why Oasis is impacting the healthcare industry, and it was immediately clear to me that similar dynamics are at play in the mortgage industry. There is a blending of highly sensitive consumer information, and a need to utilize it for modeling purposes with large entities like mortgage investors. There are other startups focusing on improving securitization with blockchain technology, but we decided to embrace Oasis because its privacy first approach is the right angle to deliver systemic change, all the way from homeowner to investor. We believe that Oasis is the only solution out there right now that enables us to accomplish that in the long-run.
Any big milestones coming up for your project that our readers should know about?
On April 16th, we are launching RefiAmerica, a national campaign to help homeowners lower their costs and better navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. We are also launching our servicing website and mobile app in May. We are utilizing Oasis Labs to maintain the accounting records for our underlying mortgages.
How can others try out your product? Learn more about what you’re up to?
Please visit us at SafeRate.com or email us at team@saferate.com
Anything else you’d like to share?
We’re thrilled to be a part of the program and excited to build on the Oasis network!
Originally published at https://medium.com on April 16, 2020.
